History W The United States to 1877 Spring 2014 Syllabus

Transcription

1 History W The United States to 1877 Spring 2014 Syllabus Instructor: Dr. Jessica Brannon-Wranosky Office: Ferguson Social Sciences ( is the best way to reach me, also you may leave a non-urgent message by calling my office phone or in my box in the History Department Office in SS 111.) Office Hours: MW 10:00 AM-12:00 PM in Person OR by appointment. Office Phone: (903) ( is the best way to reach me) Website: located inside ecollege inside your myleo account ( COURSE INFORMATION PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A READING INTENSIVE COURSE WITH ASSIGNMENTS DUE EVERY WEEK. MATERIALS: Texts: There are two possible packets of books if you buy them through any bookstore. There are two required books for this course--give Me Liberty and Voices of Freedom (Volume 1, Third Edition, of both books). Voices of Freedom does not come in an ebook, and you will get a paperback copy regardless of the packet you choose. The difference in the packets for each course is whether you want a paperback of Give Me Liberty or an ebook. For the ebook you get an access code to use to log in to the Norton Publishing website and sign in when you want to read the book. It is in a format similar to a pdf of the paperback book and has utilities to use virtual highlighting and post-it notes. Buy one packet or the other (with an ebook or hardcopy of Give Me Liberty) for the correct class. Keep in mind, though, the ebook is harder on your eyes even though it is easier on your wallet. Required Readings: Eric Foner. Give Me Liberty. Volume I. Third Seagull Edition. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, (ISBN ) paperback Eric Foner, ed. Voices of Freedom. Volume I. Third Edition. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, (ISBN ) paperback Supplemental Readings and Resources: There are a number of readings and online podcasts linked from the publisher s website to the weekly to do list for each chapter. These will enormously help students in the course better understand and analyze the information provided in the required textbook readings and to prepare for the required discussion forums, required chapter reading quizzes, and required essay exams. Course Description: A broad interdisciplinary course in the historical development of the United States and North America to Course Pre-Requisites, Co-Requisites: ENGL 1301 OR 1302

2 Rationale of the Course: The goal of this course will be to provide the student with a basic knowledge of United States History to Reconstruction as well as to provide a foundation for future historical studies. Student Learning Outcomes: 1. Students will be able to form substantive and evidence-driven arguments to propose solutions to problems or explain phenomena. 2. Student communication will follow conventions of grammar and syntax appropriate to the audience, purpose and message. 3. Students will demonstrate awareness of societal and/or civic issues. 4. Students will be able to understand their role in their own education. COURSE REQUIREMENTS ***Responsibility Sheets: Each student will have a Student Responsibility Sheet provided to them either electronically or in print. These sheets must be submitted by the of the third week in class in long semesters and the of the first week in class in short semesters; failure to submit these sheets when due will result in a failing grade for the course regardless of other work completed. Questions regarding this course and departmental requirement should be addressed to the Department of History chairperson, Dr. Judy Ford.*** Explanation of Evaluation Criteria: Students will be graded for this course on the basis of a Start Here Quiz (3%); fourteen weekly multiple-choice chapter reading quizzes comprising 1% of the final grade each (14% combined); three essay exams, exam 1 worth 15%, exam 2 and 3 each worth 20% of the final grade (55% combined); and weekly online group discussion forum participation totaling (28% of the final grade). Final Term Grade Explanations: A =89.5 to 100; B =79.5 to 89.4; C =69.5 to 79.4; D =59.5 to 69.4; F =<59.5 Text Usage: For this course you have been assigned two texts: Give Me Liberty and Voices of Freedom both of which are required readings. For the purposes of this course, you will be quizzed daily over assigned readings from Give Me Liberty (it is a secondary source). The other text for this course, Voices of Freedom, is a compilation of edited primary source materials carefully selected to complement readings in Give Me Liberty. For the exams you will be asked to write an essay utilizing primary source material presented in Voices of Freedom. You will also need to use information from the Give Me Liberty text to provide the rest of the story, context (background), and for some of the analysis for your essays. Access to both books is absolutely necessary to this course, as is having an understanding of and the ability to use primary and secondary sources. (Please see Primary and Secondary Sources under the Exam Study Guides and Source Guides tab in the menu on the course homepage.) Chapter Quizzes: There are 14 quizzes including the Week One Start Here Quiz and fourteen chapter quizzes. Each is worth one point on your final semester average and is due by 3 PM on the assigned due date (see Class Schedule below.) As said above, the chapter quizzes will come from information in that week s chapter(s) of Give Me Liberty. You have three chances within the timeframe the quiz is open to get your highest score. These multiple opportunities are for both your benefit to aid you in achieving a high score, but also to provide for any technological problems if you lose connectivity or service during one of your attempts. There are no makeup quizzes once each quiz closes; and each new attempt erases previous attempts. Chapter Discussion Forums: To get full credit for the 28% of the semester grade delegated to discussion forum participation (1% per original post, 1% per peer response), for each forum

3 students must make at least one original post in both discussion forums AND reply to at least one of your group-mates original posts in both forums. Students must post their original post by 3 PM on the following the forum s availability. Additionally, students, then, must respond to one classmate s post by 3 PM the following the original post s due date. See discussion forum calendar at the end of this syllabus for more information on due dates, etc. There are no makeup forums or responses once each is due. Professor s Forum : This is a non-graded forum where students should go to receive helpful tips and advice from the instructor or to ask questions that may be valuable to the entire class. The Professor s Forum is designed to facilitate class communication and foster success. Students should check-in daily for pertinent, up-to-date class discussion threads. The forum may be accessed via the Professor s Forum listing on the menu under Course Home. Essay Exams: For each chapter, as discussed above, one discussion forum topic will be released. These are very similar to those essays that will appear as options on the exam. Use the forum topics to prepare for the essay exams. Two essay questions will appear on the exam, you will choose one of these to write about. On the exam, these questions will be drawn randomly from the pool of group discussion questions. Your essay will be graded according to how well you understand, explain, and analyze both material learned in the Give Me Liberty text as well as Primary Source material provided in Voices of Freedom in order to answer the question. In the course of your essays, you must reference Primary Source material in Voices of Freedom and cite when applicable to exam directions. Exam Reviews: In the Exam Study Guides and Source Guides tab in the menu on the course homepage there is a document entitled Exam Study Guide with specific instructions on what needs to be in each essay and what is considered a complete example. YOU MUST CAREFULLY CONSULT AND PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE EXAM STUDY GUIDE AND THE OTHER STUDY MATERIALS FOR COMPLETE INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING YOUR ESSAY EXAMS. Furthermore, this course is designed so that you have essay questions available as you read the chapters in both books. Do not wait until the last minute to study for your essay exams. Write each chapter s essays in advance as you go through the course. There is a Five Step Suggested Study Process listed under the Exam Study Guides and Source Guides tab on the homepage to help you with strategies for approaching the essay exam process. Deadlines: All quizzes and exams in this class will become available to students at 12:01 AM on the designated Saturday and must be completed and turned in by 3 PM on the following. This is a due date, and thus the time the assignment closes. It is important to note that each student has almost a full week to complete the assignment, and should not wait until the last day, hour or minute to turn in work. On exam weeks you have to do both the regular weekly assignments and the exams. Prepare for these in advance so that you do not get behind. (See class schedule below.) If you registered for the course during late add/drop, contact me immediately. TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS Technology: Please take the Student Orientational Tutorial linked to your main courses page within ecollege that you should have completed prior to beginning this course. In addition to reliable web service on a daily basis for your online sessions, you also need access to Microsoft Word or to word processing software that you can save files in Microsoft Word compatible style. You also need a reliable place to save and keep copies of your coursework files for storage and reference. The following information has been provided to assist you in preparing to use technology successfully in this course.

4 - Internet access/connection high speed recommended (not dial-up) - Internet browser software (Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox work best) - Word Processor (MS Word) Additionally, the following hardware and software are necessary to use ecollege: Our campus is optimized to work in a Microsoft Windows environment. This means our courses work best if you are using a Windows operating system (XP or newer) and a recent version of Microsoft Internet Explorer (6.0, 7.0, or 8.0). It is strongly recommended that you perform a Browser Test prior to the start of your course. To launch a browser test, login in to ecollege, click on the mycourses tab, and then select the Browser Test link under Support Services. ACCESS AND NAVIGATION This course will be facilitated using ecollege, the Learning Management System used by Texas A&M University-Commerce. To get started with the course, go to: You will need your CWID and password to log in to the course. If you do not know your CWID or have forgotten your password, contact Technology Services at or helpdesk@tamu-commerce.edu. COMMUNICATION AND SUPPORT ing the professor s university address (Jessica.Wranosky@tamuc.edu) is the very best way to reach Dr. Wranosky. In every , please make sure to provide your full name at the end, which course you are enrolled in, and a description of what your request or question is. Dr. Wranosky will communicate with students through the address they have on file in MyLeo (make sure yours is up to date and working throughout the semester), ecollege announcements, and the Professor s Forum discussion forum in the class. Please check these areas daily and before attending class. If an emergency arises, Dr. Wranosky will post the announcement for the class in all three of these locations. In all forms of class communication including all online forums, students are expected and required to maintain a respectful tone and use semiformal to formal language. ecollege Student Technical Support Texas A&M University-Commerce provides students technical support in the use of ecollege. The student help desk may be reached by the following means 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Chat Support: Click on 'Live Support' on the tool bar within your course to chat with an ecollege Representative. Phone: (Toll Free) to speak with ecollege Technical Support Representative. helpdesk@online.tamuc.org to initiate a support request with ecollege Technical Support Representative. Help: Click on the 'Help' button on the toolbar for information regarding working with ecollege Technological Failure: If at any time you experience technical problems (e.g., you can't log in to the course, you can't see certain material, etc.) please contact the ecollege HelpDesk, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The HelpDesk can be reached by clicking on the HelpDesk link in the Help pages as described above, or by sending an directly to

5 You may also reach the HelpDesk by calling (toll-free) This information is also available through the Technical Support tab on the course main menu. Course instructors are not responsible for technical failures and should only be notified in cases of repeated failure or lack of response by the HelpDesk. COURSE AND UNIVERSITY PROCEDURES/POLICIES BOTTOM LINE PLAGIARISM, CHEATING, OR ACADEMIC DISHONESTY WILL NOT BE TOLERATED IN THIS CLASS (OR ANY OF MY OTHER CLASSES) IN ANY MANNER Academic Honesty Policy, Plagiarism (AKA Cheating): As mentioned above, the written component of this course is the essay exam. ALL ESSAYS ARE TO BE ORIGINAL WRITINGS BY EACH STUDENT. COOPERATIVE EFFORTS AT WRITING OR TURNING IN THE SAME ESSAY OR CUTTING AND PASTING FROM ONLINE SOURCES (except your own discussion posts) IS NOT ALLOWED. Per the Texas A&M University-Commerce Department of History Academic Integrity Policy incidents of cheating, plagiarism (presenting another person s work as one s own), or other academic misconduct may be punishable by the assignment of a grade of zero, failure in the course, or expulsion from the university. Texas A&M University-Commerce does not tolerate plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty. Conduct that violates generally accepted standards of academic honesty is defined as academic dishonesty. "Academic dishonesty" includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism (the appropriation or stealing of the ideas or words of another and passing them off as one's own), cheating on exams or other course assignments, collusion (the unauthorized collaboration with others in preparing course assignments), and abuse (destruction, defacing, or removal) of resource material. Suggested sites for further information include: or or Examination Policy Taking Exams: This is an online course in which you turn in essay exams online. You will have a two hour window in which to do this at any point during the days in which each exam in made available. This is a Two-Step Process. Step 1: Log into the class and click on the Exam Listing on the course menu, then, click on the appropriate exam. This is where you will obtain your possible questions choices. I highly suggest you write your essay in Word, save it as a Word document, and then copy and paste the text in the essay exam window. You must hit the save answer button AND the submit for grading button. You may either write your essay in the two hours provided or copy-and-paste it from documents you have written in preparing for the exam. Step 2: You will then have to submit it in Microsoft Word format to the appropriate Dropbox. This second step is where I will actually grade your exam and provide feedback. Additionally, this is the point at which your exam is uploaded to turnitin.com for plagiarism checking. You must complete both steps by the deadline so that I can check for plagiarism or you will not get credit for the exam. (Note: you must use the Dropbox link to Turn-It-In.com inside the course. Do not go to Turn-It-In.com to do this.) Understand that I know many of you might study together, but your essays will have to be independently produced pieces of work that do not use another student s or overly use another source s information word for word. You are not to turn in the same essay or pieces of essays for more than one student s exam. Make sure what you turn in is your own work. You will not know in advance which essay you are assigned,

6 therefore, gambling on one student you are working with not getting the same essay is a bad idea. DO YOUR OWN WORK. Returning Exams to Students: Students will receive access to graded exams, exam grades, and comments by 3 PM on the following the due date. Attendance Policy Attendance : Students are expected to turn in all work and attend to all weekly course requirements and announcements. Assignment Policy There are weekly assignments for this course in the form of chapter quizzes, chapter discussion forums, and peer responses to the discussion forums. Additionally, there are three essay exams. Chapter forum and peer review information it to be entered directly into the windows provided in the ecollege discussion forum pages. Exams must be uploaded in two places, and the ecollege Dropbox folder upload must be in Microsoft Word format. No other file format will be accepted. Late Work Students are expected to complete all assignments by the deadlines. There will be no make-up quizzes. Make-up exams will only be granted at the discretion of the instructor, with prior arrangement, and may be of a completely different format than the regular exams. Additionally, makeup exams will come with an automatic point deduction of at least 20%. There will be no make-up finals. Please note: all assignments in this course are available for an extended period of 24 hours or more (depending on the assignment) and the instructor will have little patience for procrastination. Drop a Course A student may drop a course by logging into their myleo account and clicking on the hyperlink labeled 'Drop a class' from among the choices found under the myleo section of the Web page. Incompletes There are no incompletes permitted for this course due to its live-online class components. Administrative Withdrawal The professor expects each student to keep up with their performance level in the course and drop the course on their own if the student believes it is necessary. Yet, the professor reserves the right to drop any student who does not log-in to the course AND/OR who does not complete two weeks worth of assignments from the course for non-attendance. Professor initiated administrative drops in this course are highly unlikely. University Specific Procedures: Federal ADA compliance: Those students with special needs (recognized and documented by Texas A&M University-Commerce) should notify me immediately so I can discuss the availability of appropriate instructional aids or accommodations. These conversations will be confidential. If you do have special needs, you must register with the Office of Student Disability Resources and Services here at TAMU-Commerce. Students with Disabilities: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact:

7 Office of Student Disability Resources and Services Texas A&M University-Commerce Gee Library- Room 132 Phone (903) or (903) Fax (903) Student Conduct All students enrolled at the University shall follow the tenets of common decency and acceptable behavior conducive to a positive learning environment. (See Code of Student Conduct from Student Guide Handbook). ADDITIONAL HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS Parking: If you have parking issues (including not being able to find a parking space) there are a number of general and student lots available on campus, but if you need further help please contact the TAMU-Commerce Bursar s Office to obtain information on getting a parking permit. Illness: If you have health related issues (including needing a physician s attention and documentation for missed class/assignments) the TAMU-Commerce Student Health Services Center is located in Henderson Hall. By paying student fees, you have the right to see a physician free of charge or for a nominal fee. Student Health Services is located in Henderson Hall, behind University Police and across from Prairie Crossing, on the corner of Lee St. and Monroe St. Their phone number is (903)

8 READING ASSIGNMENTS, QUIZ AND EXAM SCHEDULE Date(s) Topic Readings Week 1 1/13 to 1/17 Start Here Lessons & Requirements Week 2 1/18 to 1/24 A New World Both Texts, Ch. 1 Week 3 1/25 to 1/31 Beginnings of English America, Both Texts, Ch. 2 Week 4 2/1 to 2/7 Creating Anglo America, Both Texts, Ch. 3 Week 5 2/8 to 2/14 Slavery, Freedom, Struggle for Empire Both Texts, Ch. 4 Available Saturday, February 15 (Exam One Covering Chapters 1-4) Due, February 21 Week 6 2/15 to 2/21 The American Revolution, Both Texts, Ch. 5 Week 7 2/22 to 2/28 The Revolution Within Both Texts, Ch. 6 Week 8 3/1 to 3/7 Founding A Nation, Both Texts, Ch. 7 Spring Break March 10-16, 2014 CAMPUS CLOSED Week 9 3/15 to 3/21 Securing the Republic, Both Texts, Ch. 8 Week 10 3/22 to 3/28 The Market Revolution, Both Texts, Ch. 9 Available Saturday, March 29 (Exam Two Covering Chapters 5-9) Due, March 4 Week 11 3/29 to 4/4 Democracy in America, Both Texts, Ch. 10 Week 12 4/5 to 4/11 The Peculiar Institution Both Texts, Ch. 11 Week 13 4/12 to 4/18 The Age of Reform, Both Texts, Ch. 12 Week 14 4/19 to 4/25 A House Divided, Both Texts, Ch. 13 Week 15 4/26 to 5/2 A New Birth of Freedom: The Civil War Both Texts, Ch. 14 Available Saturday, May 3 (Exam Three [Final Exam] Covering Chapters 10-14)* Due, May 9* Important Schedule Notes: All quizzes, reviews, and exams are set to release at 12:01 AM on the corresponding date listed above. All work may be turned in early, as long as it is in by the deadline. All quizzes, exams, and discussion posts and replies are due at 3 p.m on the corresponding date. NOTE: The final exam [Exam 3] is due, May 9, THERE WILL BE NO MAKEUP FINAL EXAMS GRANTED. *Extra Credit of 5 points (half a letter grade on your final exam!) on final exams turned in prior to Tuesday, May 6 at 3 p.m.

9 DISCUSSION FORUM DUE DATES & QUIZ SCHEDULE Chapter Forum & Quiz Available (12:01 AM) Due Date (3 PM) Monday (8am) January 13, 2014 Start Here Lessons & Start Here Quiz January 24, 2014 Saturday January 18, 2014 Chapter 1 Original Forum Post & Quiz January 24, 2014 Saturday January 25, 2014 Chapter 2 Original Forum Post & Quiz; January 31, 2014 Chapter 1 Peer Response due Saturday February 1, 2014 Chapter 3 Original Forum Post & Quiz; February 7, 2014 Chapter 2 Peer Response due Saturday February 8, 2014 Chapter 4 Original Forum Post & Quiz; February 14, 2014 Chapter 3 Peer Response due Saturday February 15, 2014 Chapter 5 Original Forum Post & Quiz; February 21, 2014 Chapter 4 Peer Response due Saturday February 22, 2014 Chapter 6 Original Forum Post & Quiz; February 28, 2014 Chapter 5 Peer Response due Saturday March 1, 2014 Chapter 7 Original Forum Post & Quiz; March 7, 2014 Chapter 6 Peer Response due SPRING BREAK March 10-17, 2014 CAMPUS CLOSED Saturday March 8, 2014 Chapter 8 Original Forum Post & Quiz; March 21, 2014 Chapter 7 Peer Response due Saturday March 22, 2014 Chapter 9 Original Forum Post & Quiz; March 28, 2014 Chapter 8 Peer Response due Saturday March 29, 2014 Chapter 10 Original Forum Post & Quiz; April 4, 2014 Chapter 9 Peer Response due Saturday April 5, 2014 Chapter 11 Original Forum Post & Quiz; April 11, 2014 Chapter 10 Peer Response due Saturday April 12, 2014 Chapter 12 Original Forum Post & Quiz; April 18, 2014 Chapter 11 Peer Response due Saturday April 19, 2014 Chapter 13 Original Forum Post & Quiz; April 25, 2014 Chapter 12 Peer Response due Saturday April 26, 2014 Chapter 14 Original Forum Post & Quiz; May 2, 2014 Chapter 13 Peer Response due Chapter 14 Peer Response due Tuesday May 9, 2014 The word chapter anywhere in this course means both textbooks Give Me Liberty and Voices of Freedom. Have a great semester, and please feel free and empowered to approach me with any questions.